“Croatian police are pushing migrants and asylum seekers back to Bosnia and Herzegovina, in some cases violently, and without giving them the possibility to seek asylum, Human Rights Watch said.

Human Rights Watch interviewed 20 people, including 11 heads of families and 1 unaccompanied boy, who said that Croatian police deported them to Bosnia and Herzegovina without due process after detaining them deep inside Croatian territory. Sixteen, including women and children, said police beat them with batons, kicked and punched them, stole their money, and either stole or destroyed their mobile phones.” (Human Rights Watch)

“All accusations against the police were refuted by Interior Minister Davor Božinović.

‘I received a letter from the Human Rights Watch organization and responded to it. First I deny that the Croatian police used excessive force or overstepped their authority in terms of their relationship towards migrants. Croatian police protect the Croatian border and they protect the outer border of the European Union, in accordance with Croatian legislature and in accordance with the Schengen regime’s regulations. They have done this and will continue to do this professionally. If it wasn’t like this the Croatian police wouldn’t have received praise from the relevant members and institutions of the European Union for the way they are handling the migrant crisis,’ said Božinović.” (Voice of Croatia)

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